A Study of Place Attachment to Home, Acculturative Stress, and Psychological Adjustment Among Korean Youth in the United States
Jin Suk Lee , Desiree B. Qin
Abstract
This study examined the relationships between place attachment to home, acculturative stress, and psychological adjustment among Korean youth in the United States. In particular, this study sought to better understand how place attachment to home and acculturation stress impacts upon youth`s psychological adjustment, as measured by depression and self-esteem. The subjects consisted of 225 Korean youths (113 males and 111 females) residing in Michigan in the USA, of whom 47.6% attended middle school while 52.4% of whom attended high school. The instruments utilized were the acculturative stress scale (Sandhu and Asrabadi, 1994), the place attachment scale (Choi, Lee, & Han, 2009), Radloff`s depression scale (CES-D), and Rosenberg`s self-esteem scale. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to assess the predictive effects of place attachment to home and acculturative stress on youth`s psychological adjustment, alongside controlling demographic variables. The findings indicated that place attachment to home and acculturative stress impacted upon depression and self-esteem, as experienced by the youths examined. These results have implications for our understanding of the importance of both youths` place attachment to home and acculturative stress in the acculturation process.